Tangerine Sour Cream Pound Cake

Photo via Hummingbird High

For the Sour Cream Pound Cake:
(makes one 10-inch bundt cake)

• 3 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• fresh grated tangerine zest from 4 tangerines
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 6 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Tangerine Cake Soak:

• 1/4 cup fresh tangerine juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

For the Tangerine Icing:

• 2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup fresh tangerine juice

Please click through to see the remainder of the recipe at:  http://www.hummingbirdhigh.com/2015/01/tangerine-sour-cream-pound-cake.html

Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot...

It's amazing the traditions surrounding food on New Years.  It seems that cultures across the globe unpack all of their superstitions and place them right on the table.  Here are some interesting ones I've read about lately.

In China (lunar new year, but lumping it in for simplicity's sake), the word for "orange" and "gold" are phonetically similar, so tangerines and oranges are both eaten and prominently displayed.  Long noodles signify long life, and (I love this one) lots of desserts bring a sweet year.

Persians eat pomegranates to signify fertility and abundance.  They're a "superfood," so pick one up on Friday at the store.  There's a great trick to separating the kernels from the pulp:  Break the kernels apart with your hands submerged in a bowl of water.  The kernels sink, the pulp floats.

In many places, from Russia to Ireland, it's simply about quantity.  Want to signify abundance?  Big platters, big portions.  Love it.

Photo via MyRecipes

How about here in the South?  Like in Germany, eat leafy greens, which are the same color as money.  In Germany, it's cabbage, specifically sauerkraut.  In the US, the tradition is collards (which will be in this week's box).  Add some Hoppin' John and cornbread -- symbolizing gold -- and that's the traditional meal.  Just don't make chicken, since that symbolizes your fortune flying away.

Happy New Year to you all, and don't forget to make a sweet cake to bring a sweet 2015.

Photo via I'm At Home Baking

The Holidays Cometh

Walking around the store today, I noticed a lot has changed over the last days.  Things like brussels sprouts and cauliflower have given way to more winter-y produce.  Most prominently, I noticed that the citrus is starting to come in and be beautiful.  For me, the citrus we have all winter sustains me until April when I can really eat vegetables again.  What can we do with, say, oranges?  (Okay, I'm lumping the tangerines in with the oranges).

Photo via The Naptime Chef

The most obvious thing that comes to mind is sweets.  And, yesterday, I started scratching my head about what sorts of cookies I'm making over the holidays.  What do I have that includes oranges?  As it turns out, quite a bit.  The acid from the citrus helps to balance the sugar and fat in desserts, so it's actually a pretty necessary component.  Here's what I found, and I put all of these on my short list.  So, who wants a cookie?

• My mom loves to make her own biscotti.  So I'm sending her this recipe.
• Sweets from North Africa all the way across Asia to India pair oranges with cardamom, and it's heavenly.  Especially in sugar cookies.
• Citrus zest is an important component of good shortbread.
• Santa used to occasionally leave a chocolate orange in my stocking.  You know, orange flavored chocolate shaped like orange wedges.  (Do they still make those...?  Gotta check.)  So I've always loved that flavor combinations.  So these madeleines have to be heavenly.
• These simple orange cookies look soooo good.

Photo via How Sweet It Is

Citrus & Pomegranate Salad

We just got some gorgeous looking pomegranates in this week, so as I was musing over that citrus salad from the Crop Share Spoiler, I thought no, pumpkin no, this need to be a Citrus & Pomegranate Salad.  I'm sure you've seen the pom-everything drinks in stores and heard all about the amazing benefits of pomegranate, but frankly I just think it's gorgeous.  They're like little jewels on your plate.  So snag a pomegranate when you're in this weekend, and really make this fruit salad pop!  And for a great tutorial on how to cut and remove the seeds from this tricky little bugger, check out this great and adorable tutorial.

Citrus & Pomegranate Salad

Ingredients:
2 oranges, peeled, pith removed and segmented
4 tangerines, peeled, pith removed and segmented
(still have grapefruit from last week, throw segments from one of those too!)
Seed of 1 pomegranate (click here to see two easy methods for removing the seeds)
2 tsp fresh mint, rough chopped
2-3 Tbsp local honey
Splash or two of vanilla extract









Arrange citrus on a serving plate and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and chopped mint.

In a bowl, whisk together honey and vanilla.  If the dressing seems to thick, cut it with a bit of water.  Then dipping a spoon into the dressing, drizzle it evenly over the entire salad.

For a warm citrus salad, arrange everything on an oven-safe platter and broil on high for a minute or two.